3,070 deployed on poll duty in Chamba: DC

Our Correspondent

Chamba, May 6

The nomination process for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections will begin in Himachal Pradesh from tomorrow, with Chamba district gearing up for the electoral procedures.

Four Assembly segments — Churah, Chamba, Dalhousie and Bhattiyat — are part of Kangra parliamentary constituency while the Bharmour Assembly segment is under the jurisdiction of Mandi constituency. The state would go to polls on June 1.

Addressing a press conference on Monday, Chamba Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer Mukesh Repswal said nominations for the Kangra Lok Sabha constituency can be submitted to the Kangra or Chamba DEO, while those for the Mandi Lok Sabha constituency to the Mandi DEO.

Elaborating on the preparations for the upcoming elections, Repswal highlighted various steps being taken to ensure smooth electoral process. He mentioned that randomisation of polling officers has been carried out, along with training sessions provided at the sub-divisional level. Due to the challenging terrain, exemption from randomisation has been granted to polling officers in Bharmaur and Pangi.

A total of approximately 3,070 polling personnel have been appointed across the district, with training already completed for key officials. Further training sessions are scheduled for May 23-24. Randomisation of polling teams will take place on May 29-30 under the supervision of observers.

Repswal also discussed the randomisation of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and voter verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines. The first randomisation was conducted from May 2 to May 3, with allocation to assistant returning officers on May 3-4. The second randomisation and commissioning will be conducted at the district election officer and assistant district election officer levels on May 19, 22, and 24.

He said 631 polling centres have been set up in Chamba district. Among these, 10 booths will be managed by women staff, three by persons with disability and five by young officers. Additionally, 25 polling centres have been designated as model polling centres.

For the counting of votes, EVMs and VVPATs will be collected and stored at the strong rooms at Millennium Polytechnic College and Pt Jawaharlal Nehru Government Medical College at Sarol. After the counting, EVMs and VVPATs will be stored in the designated strong rooms for 45 days.

Efforts are underway to raise awareness among voters, especially in centres with low voter turnout, through various programmes organised by SVEEP teams, said Repswal adding that such initiatives would continue in the future to ensure maximum participation in the electoral process.

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